


The Queen's Warrior

by exovelvetwriters



Category: EXO (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, EXOVelvet, F/M, Fantasy
Language: Filipino
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:01:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28567392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exovelvetwriters/pseuds/exovelvetwriters
Summary: Joohyun is the new queen. And there are pressing matters that the royalty can't control.Genre: Fantasy, Prompt: Kingdom
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene & Kim Jongin | Kai, Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kim Jongin | Kai
Kudos: 9
Collections: EXOVelvetWritersFest 2.0





	The Queen's Warrior

Nanunuot sa balat ang malamig na simoy ng hangin sa buong Analirsuns. The sound of crickets and the howling of wolves and other wild animals lurking in the forest near the palace usually lulls her to sleep. But not tonight. Tonight, the shivering cold doesn’t match the terrifying events from the coronation earlier. 

She looked faraway to the forest, seeing but not really seeing. Her mind wanders to the deepest, darkest corners, anticipating something to come out of the dark. She stood on the balcony alert. She has always been for the last five days. Maaaninag mula sa kinaroroonan niya ang paggalaw ng mga sanga ng puno sa ‘di kalayuan. She closed her eyes. Making sense of her surroundings. She can almost hear the flowing water from the waterfall as it cascades through the river. The night owl hoots along, the rustling leaves join for a relaxing harmony. The rustling seems different though-

_ Footsteps _ .

She snapped her eyes open. Her guards are on patrol but the balcony is visible from the forest and no matter how alert her guards may be, a long distance shot of an arrow isn’t impossible. And for those creatures, a long distance would be just a few seconds stride.

But it’s too late. She feels a hot breath on her nape. The intruder is definitely one of  _ them _ . 

_ Stupid Joohyun _ . Wanting a breather in expense of her own safety.  _ And the safety of the throne _ . 

She’s calculating how long it would take for her to get her silver dagger from the strap on her right leg when the intruder speaks.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,  _ Your Majesty _ .”

Her knees buckled at the sound of his voice. She got a grip on the rails with trembling hands. The  _ intruder  _ caught her before she fell completely unbalanced. 

“Careful, Joohyun. I came straight here upon seeing you in the balcony that I haven’t fed yet. I know I shouldn’t have but you’re too...  _ tempting _ .”

She turned around. She’s not expecting to see him soon but she guessed it can’t be helped with the earlier commotion. She threw her arms around the man’s neck and buried her face on his chest. She was too preoccupied to notice his spring-like smell. Afterall, he has been her favorite scent.

“I’m here, my love. I’m here now.”

_ Earlier that Day _

The whole palace is busy preparing for the coronation of the new queen. Five days ago, this should have been a celebration for his elder brother, Junmyeon, to be the next in line. One month ago, their father died from a heart attack at a young age, to the shock of the Kingdom of Analirsuns. He was a great King to the nation as he is a great father to his children.

At 58, King Heechul of the Kim Dynasty didn’t anticipate that he'd be leaving the throne as soon as his son reached 30 years old. He didn’t get to have his son, the next in line for the crown, secure a wife of his own, a bearer of the dynasty line. Kim Heechul defied the orthodox ways that other nation’s usually implement to their own.

He lets his son find his own wife despite being the crown prince, as long as the wife is of a decent family with no regards of their wealth, but should not have any criminal record. Crown Prince Junmyeon, however, didn’t focus on finding a bearer for the throne and aimed to strengthen the military force against enemies of the state. He mastered the art of fighting and silently gave his younger sister the responsibilities for ruling the nation next to their father.

And perhaps, King Heechul saw that his daughter makes a good fit for a ruler. Both her father and brother treated her with no animosity despite being born as a result of her father’s concubinage. She finds herself lucky, it would have been a different scenario if she has been from the other part of the states. Not to add that she’s born a woman too.

However, no matter how good the Royalty’s ruling is, they can never be spared from politics. Various regional and ideological factions struggled for dominance in the political system. A third force was added in the form of vicious creatures, who, with supernatural powers have ingrained terror to humans in the past centuries. Although the Kim Dynasty has a peaceful relationship with the vampires on their territory now, it has shed bloods of the past generations due to the wars between humanity and vampires. Now, only the vampires outside the kingdom are the possible threat along with the opposing factions.

Joohyun looks at her reflection. Her eyes are still swollen from outbursts upon receiving the news of her brother’s death.

“Ready?” Her lady in waiting, Seungwan, has been making sure that her hanbok doesn’t have any wrinkles on it. 

“I know my brother will still pass the crown to me after making sure everything’s fine before he focuses on the borders. This is never a part of that plan,” she lets out a shaky breath.

“I’m sure his highness fought hard to survive the attack. But those suckers outnumbered him. He may be the best warrior out there, but no one anticipated this happening. Not when the  _ Centauris  _ are on their own mission.” Seungwan kept her voice as stable as possible, but Joohyun knows she is as affected as her. Or more. Afterall, Seungwan admires her brother lovingly despite denying it everytime.

“I’m scared, Seungwan. I’m all left of the direct bloodline for the throne. The enemies will surely make me the best target to make our land fall.”

“Not when we have the best guards headed by Minseok, and the Centauris, especially Kai.”

The mention of his name made her long for her lover. Kai has been away for a week now together with the Centauris, the vampire military is off to guard the borders as reports of nomadic vampires threatening the people at the borders after a slaughter incident happened in the southernmost part of Analirsuns, Gunbeal. Leaving only one Centauri, Sehun, in the company of his brother. Who also got killed in the ambush.

Seungwan made her face towards her. She cupped her cheeks and looked at her with humble eyes, encouraging her to feel at ease.

“The people need you, Your Highness. We need you.”

Joohyun let out a small sob and hugged Seungwan tightly. Getting as much strength from her friend.

⚔️

The faint smell of blood triggers a light fluttering on his gut. He groaned. Kailangan niya nang mangubat isa sa mga araw na ito. Pero ngayon, he needed to hunt down first the damn mothersucker who crossed the west border.

The target is about 50 meters away from him. From the way the sucker has sloppy steps with an impressive speed, Kai knew it was a newly turned. The western border is a long mountain range that separates Analirsun and Waintilborne, the land ruled by the Choi Dynasty. It has been four days since he and his unit were stationed on the alpine lake to patrol. 

The surroundings have been calm during their stay. Still, Kai couldn’t let his guard down now that they’re just a few hours away from the coronation. The calm might just be an indication of the coming storm. And now, his fears have materialized as they chase a pale white female running towards the direction of the palace. He can hunt the female alone, but there’s something unsettling inside him.

There’s a faint smell of blood that’s different from the one he smells from the girl, at least half kilometer away from north, he estimates. He looked at Yixing and Baekhyun, they’re 10 meters apart so they can still whisper at each other.

“500 meters at north. I’ll leave you two so make sure to go easy on her. She might be into a frenzy and dazed, seems like she’s used as a pawn.”

The both of them sent a hum of recognition. They’re near at the bottom of the mountain range so he needs to change direction now so the trees can still mask his presence. If the girl they’re chasing is the pawn, it’s safe to assume that this one is the real deal.

He closes the distance to his target in no time, the faint smell of blood is now stronger. He recognized the smell of a slight human blood but more closely to a wolf’s. His brows creased.  _ It _ ’s near. The trees blur as he speeds off towards the foot of the mountain where the smell gets stronger and the sound of footsteps falter.  _ No, it stopped.  _ He stops midway and hides behind a tree before he can expose himself.

Shit.

Three figures stand on the clearing. He's taken note that there are two females and a male. He can sense that the girls share the same clothing to the one from earlier. It must have been a group of girls hanging out on the nearby falls across Waintilborne. Unlike Analirsuns, the Eastern part of Waintilborne is the only section blessed with bodies of water. 

Kai peeks again. This time, he locked eyes with the man wearing a smirk, the glint in his eyes sent shivers across his spine. This should not be the best time to feel excited over some cocky bastard but he’s in a position where he can feel his bloodlust creeping out of him. 

He steps out of the clearing, earning a surprised squeals from the girls. The girls stand in front of the man, gritting their teeth and hissing at him with their eyes glowing amber. There is blood from the clothes they’re wearing and it seems that the smell of wolfblood came from their shirts. That means they came in contact with the lycans. 

His movements are fast and managed to knock the two girls down in one swift move. As expected, they’re too weak to land a blow on him, only driven by their newborn instincts to suck blood.

He focused on the man in front of him, “Who sent you here?”

The guy smirked, “Doesn’t matter now. It’s not as if I’ll let you live.”

“Humor me then. Let me have the satisfaction to bury the secret with me as my last wish,” they’re now moving in circles anticipating who will make the first move.

“I may be a cocky bastard but definitely not a fool,” he said as he sprang and aimed to land a blow on Kai’s chest but the latter coiled and managed to kick the other’s back aiming for his spine. A blurred spiraling of movements began as they aimed to land blow after blow, closing on each other every chance they get. Sharp crunches and crackings are heard as they managed to slip a punch, kick and scratches. 

The tempo of their unsynchronized dancing increased as the time passed. Not until Kai felt another pair of hands clinging into his back and got him distracted. He ends up breaking his arm as the two teamed up against him.

“Nice work, Seulgi,  _ darling. _ Let’s end this immediately so we can move on to the queen. Alright?” The man licked the side of the girl, Seulgi’s face. Kai snarled and readied himself for a leap but the surroundings suddenly darken. 

He looked up to see the moon cast a shadow as it blocked the sun’s light. He felt a surge through his blood. His broken arm coming back to it’s best shape, his eyes glowing in ash color. He can see clearly through the dark.

“What the hell is happening?!”

Kai chuckled, getting the man’s attention back at him.

“Why are your eyes glowing white?! What are you!”

“Seems like I need to get the truth out of you the most painful way. Or you can tell me now while I’m being nice.”

“N-no way! Y-you’re from that clan, aren’t you?!”, the man stumbled backwards. Seulgi crouched and made a fighting stance once again. 

Kai knocked Seulgi for the second time. Letting her fall to the side as he keeps walking towards the man. 

“Let me ask you again. Who sent you here?”

The man stood up shakily and bolted away from him in wobbly steps, eyes still not adjusting in the dark. Kai laughed darkly as he stopped walking and looked at the man as he ran for his life. He blinked and in a second the man’s back was in front of him, struggling to get out of Kai’s hold as he gasps.

Blood runs from Kai’s arms as his hand digs from the man’s back all the way through his chest. The darkness fades along with the glowing of Kai’s eyes that turn back to glowing amber, his bloodlust intensified. The man cries as he sees his heart held by the arm that pierced through him from the back, screaming in pain and spitting blood.

“Who is it,” Kai said through gritted teeth.

The man let out a piercing scream then silence as Kai crushed the man’s heart in his grip. 

_ Present _

Kai is holding her firmly against his body as they lay awake in her bed. Stroking her hair in a calming manner. She felt that his body seemed thinner than the last time they were together. Her eyes grew wide as she sat up and looked at him.

“You need to go back to the forest to feed yourself first. I’ll be fine here.”

She had a clearer look at him inside her bedroom with the night lamps on. His eyes are glowing red, indicating that he needs to feed the bloodlust in his system to get back to his majestic shape. His face looks chiseled and thinner, not that it mars his beauty, but she always prefers the plump on his skin, and the topaz glow in his eyes.

“Don’t worry. I’m not into a full bloodlust yet and I can handle my hunger for a little more. I needed to come to you first after hearing about what happened.”

She got back to her position on top of Kai. She sighed, it must have been the tenth for this evening alone. Kai wrapped his arms around her once more. 

“We may have been too confident that the nomads wouldn't be able to enter the palace’s premise. We could’ve taken into account that the culprits on my brother’s death haven’t been arrested yet before proceeding with the coronation.”

“It’s all part of the plan. Minseok and I thought of luring the murderers into the coronation, we figured that they will come in full attack knowing we are too occupied by the border duties but they didn’t know that I have came in contact with the wolves of the north to give us extra hands for the patrol while we maximize the palace’s security.”

Joohyun frowned, “I figured, but what would it make us if there’s actually a fatality amongst our people?”

“It’s a gamble we have to take, Your Majesty. It turned out we’re lucky today that we have enough manpower to take down the intruders without getting anybody harmed.”

Joohyun is furious. She can’t believe there has been a possibility for anyone present on the ceremony earlier to get harmed: the high-priests, the dukes, the counts, the barons, her maids, her court ladies Seungwan and Sooyoung, and-

“We’re lucky today. But I won’t rely on luck the next time we have situations like this, Your Majesty. I promise you that, I promised Prince Junmyeon that.”

He promised their father too, that the Kim Dynasty will secure the throne through generations, no matter how many years pass. He looked at Joohyun. His love. 28 years ago, he may never have imagined that an outcast like him will have a secured place in the palace. 

Who would have thought that the infamous Jong clan would leave a child in front of the king’s chamber with a note that they’re offering their child to the king’s mercy as the prophecy dictates that the child and the crown should always hold each other. The prophecy says that as the sun loses its brightness during daylight, a single flower will bloom as the other withers, bearing no restriction of time and distance. That same day, the Jong clan were wiped out much to the surprise of the whole Analirsuns, as they lay lifeless in their homes wide-eyed, their eyes the color of ashes.

“Don’t call me that.” Kai snapped out of his thoughts. He’s losing his focus already.

“Your Majesty?” Joohyun pouts.

“You don’t have to call me that when it’s just the two of us!”, she spat.

Kai smirked. “Have you calmed down?” Joohyun turned her gaze away from him. Kai softly grabbed her cheeks and made her look at him. “Kyungsoo told me he has finally witnessed the princess’s or should I say queen’s? combat style.”

He can still remember a time where a dagger flew out of nowhere, slicing through his cheeks albeit barely. He’s 14 at the time and had just finished his training with his best friend, Prince Junmyeon who’s 17 then. A 12 year old girl lashed out of nowhere and screamed at his face.

_ “You’re already taking too much time off my brother and you have the guts to hurt him and break his arms!”, the girl is pouting with both of her hands on her hips.  _ Cute.

_ Junmyeon exits from the nursing chamber at that time and is startled to see Joohyun in front of Kai who keeps looking back and forth on the siblings. _

_ “Joohyun! What are you doing here?” Junmyeon says as he smiles lovingly at his sister. _

_ “Orabeoni!” She runs and hugs his brother in the waist. Junmyeon ruffled his sister’s hair and glanced at his friend who’s eyeing them. _

_ “Ah, Joohyun, meet my friend, Kai.” _

_ Kai bowed towards her, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness” _

_ Joohyun frowned at him and looked at his brother after, “What does he call you, Orabeoni?” _

_ Junmyeon let out a chuckle, “He calls me Junmyeon-hyung.” _

_ Joohyun’s frown deepened then looked at him as she pouted. Kai felt his chest tightened as if the very air he breathes gets knocked out of him. _

_ “Then call me, Joohyun then, Kai-ssi.”  _

_ He must admit, he might’ve fallen from the pout. _

“A sucker would have gotten a hold of Sooyoung if I didn’t do anything!” 

“Fair point. Though now, everyone knows that the queen is capable of fighting.”

“Don’t flatter me too much, Mr. Romantic.” She left a peck on his lips. “You better get going. I don’t like getting poked by your cheekbones.”

Kai let out a chuckle and stood up. She managed to lay comfortably on her bed, Kai tucking her in. “I’ll be back right away.”

“You should or else I’ll hunt you.”

Kai leapt from the balcony to the ground and ran to the nearby forest. There’s no need to hurry so he managed a steady pace. Minutes later, he’s on top of the forest overlooking the whole Analirsuns. 

If the prophecy is true, Joohyun and him would be able to preserve the throne to immortality. Their constituents have been supportive of the newly crowned queen and her warrior’s love affair from the start, as they all knew the advantages they’ll get from the royalty’s ruling. 

For Kai and Joohyun, their destiny might have made them accept their realities easily but their feelings towards the other remains real and genuine with or without the prophecy. 

👑

Joohyun felt the weight on the edge of her bed. The scent of spring lulled her to sleep.

The night breeze turned into a familiar warmth at last. 

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comments for our author! <3 You could also leave a like and share with your friends on Twitter! Just look for our festival thread on @exovelvetwrtrs.


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